Floor jack



A. R. BENNER 'Jan. 4, 1944.

FLOOR JACK Filed Jan. 26, 1943 tllloww/u Patented Jan. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR JACK Arnold R. Benner, Louise, Tex.

Application January 26, 1943, Serial No. 473,655

2 Claims. (01. 254-15) This invention relates to a jack of the type which may be used to press warped and badly fitting tongued and grooved floor together although it is equally well adapted for pressing together ceiling and siding material.

It is aimed to provide an exceedingly simple construction which will not mar the material, one which may be used either right hand or left hand, one having novel means whereby it may be pivotally connected and fulcrumed on a joist or studding and a construction to the joist or studding in operative position against danger of accidental detachment.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawing;

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing the improved jack in connection with flooring, the latter being fragmentary and partly in section;

Figure 2 is a view of the parts of Figure 1 taken at a right angle thereto;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, the invention has been shown by way of example in connection with flooring at ll] adapted to be supported by a spur to a joist or studding at ll, these parts to be taken as conventional since the invention is equally applicable to equivalent work at ceilings, sidings, and the like.

The invention has a main lever l2 and an auxiliary lever l3, generally of Z shape and at its connecting part being pivoted at M to the main lever. Main lever l2 carries an anchoring spur I 5 which is adapted to penetrate the joists ll through relative movement of the levers l2 and I3 and a tap with a hammer, thereby to anchor the levers in operative position for fulcruming action as a whole on a spur l5.

It will be noted that the spur or pin I5 is carried by a. disc Iii which is adjustably screw threaded at il in a socket provided in the lever l2. Said disc may have a plurality of recesses 18 therein so that a special wrench may fit the same to remove or adjust it.

Suitable means are provided to secure the levers l2 and i3 together against accidental movement on the pivot l4 when operatively mounted as in the drawing and to this end I prefer to provide a latching link H! which is mounted pivotally in the head 20 of a bolt 2| adjustably mounted on the lever I2. Link l9 may be freely hooked over the upper or free end of the auxiliary lever 13 or disengaged therefrom.

A suitable bracket or equivalent means 22 is carried by the main lever l2 and has a yoke 23 adapted to embrace detachably either side of the main lever and be selectively pivoted in place by means of a bolt 24 passed through either opening 25 of such lever, since the jack may be used as either a right hand or left hand tool. The bracket has a head 26 preferably extending equidistantly on each side thereof and also equipped with a longitudinally extending groove 21 so that it may receive directly the tongue of adjacent flooring III or the equivalent.

As a result of the construction described, the jack through relative movement of the levers l2 and I3 and a tap with a hammer, may be applied to a joist or equivalent with the spur l5 penetrating the same to operative position and to fulcrum the jack for operation, the link I9 being applied over the lever l3 to latch the same against movement relatively to the main lever [2. Thereafter the lever 12 is swung on pivot IS in order forcibly to press the bracket 22 against the flooring or anyequivalent, The tool readily may be adjusted thereafter by releasing the latch 19, detaching the levers and again mounting them and latching them at the next desired position.

Various changes may be resorted to provided that they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A jack of the class described, said jack having a plurality of levers, one of said levers being relatively wide and having an opening through which the other lever passes, a spur on one of the levers adapted to penetrate a joist or the like embraced between the levers to serve as a fulcrum for the jack, said levers being pivoted to gether on an axis crossing the axis of the fulcrum, a bracket for engagement with flooring or the like, said relatively wide lever adjacent said opening having holes therethrough for selective attachment of said bracket thereto.

2. A jack of the class described, said jack having a plurality of levers, one of said levers being relatively wide and having an opening through which the other lever passes, the relatively wide lever on each side of the opening having an ear.

pivot means passing through the ears and the other lever, a spur on one of the levers adapted to penetrate a joist or the like embraced between the levers to serv as a. fulcrum for the jack, a bracket for engagement with flooring or the like having a bifurcated portion with openings therethrough, said relatively wide lever adjacent said openings and below said ears having holes therethrough, said bifurcated portion of the bracket being arranged to receive the relatively wide lever therein, and the openings coacting to receive both means to selectively attach the brackets in the holes of the relatively wide lever.

ARNOLD R. BENNER. 

